"I like watching these buildings burn," says Jing Jing Naihan Li, a young Beijing architect. That would normally come off as ominous, but in this case, it's awesome: Naihan makes candles that are modeled after the tallest buildings in the world. Because, after all, aren't skyscrapers just the candles on the glitter-covered double chocolate ganache birthday cake that is the city?

The 32-year-old designer, who's worked with Ai Weiwei and at OMA, debuted the candles at Beijing Design Week last year. Now, they're for sale online at Bundshop, where you can choose from towers like the second tallest building in the world—the Shanghai World Financial Center—and Taipei 101, another long-time record-holder.

Advertisement

You'd think that someone who went to the trouble to model and mold these buildings (and custom-make them for two years) would have done so out of love, right? Nah—she did it for the sheer pleasure of seeing them burn. Bundshop asked Naihan about the basis for the project, and she gave the most hilarious response ever:

I'm tired of modernity. I like watching these buildings burn and melt into artistic pieces. I light these for fun, I think I've burnt 20 sets just myself.

The only caveat in all of this is the relatively high cost of each piece—they range from $39 on up through the hundreds. But keep in mind that each candle is more than a foot high, so they'll last for a while. [Bundshop]